Article share tools

No specific commemoration

Culture Minister Helen Grant says the government are not hosting a specific commemoration of the bombing of the Hartlepools - instead focusing on the key military milestones of the war.

But she assures MPs that the government is not ignoring the "dreadful things that happened closer to home" and sets out a series of exhibits that will highlight the bombing of coastal towns during the First World War.

Article share tools

Money resolution passes

House of Commons

Parliament

After a short debate MPs pass unanimously the money resolution for Conservative MP Jake Berry's private member's bill to give public bodies in England the power to include prayers or religious observances as an item of business, should they wish to do so.

Article share tools

'Unnecessary' legislation

House of Commons

Parliament

James Brokenshire says it will provide "much needed capacity" to investigate wider areas than one person alone can cover.

Labour's proposals to explicitly set out a new remit for the board is unnecessary as the board exists to support the work of the Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation, and therefore its remit "is in line with his".

The government will hold a full public consultation on the board including, its compositions, appointment and access to documentation, which he encourages MPs to take part in.

Article share tools

'Counter Terrorism Oversight Panel'

House of Commons

Parliament

Under the Labour amendments the Privacy and Civil Liberties boards would be given a statutory remit to cover the areas David Anderson doesn't already cover, Diana Johnson says, and will be given a legal right to access documents it requires.

The board will not just cover privacy, but also other human rights and counter terrorism policy, she says and would be renamed as the "Counter Terrorism Oversight Panel" she says.

Article share tools

Privacy and Civil Liberties Boards

House of Commons

Parliament

Shadow Home Affairs Minister Diana Johnson tables an amendment to find out what the Privacy and Civil Liberties Boards - set up under the bill to support the statutory role of the Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation - will do.

Ms Johnson says the bill as formed doesn't "actually tell us very much" and is "quite empty" about what the board will do.

Article share tools

New clauses accepted

House of Commons

Parliament

James Brokenshire warns that "ransoms provide huge revenue streams for terrorists" which can then be used to attack the UK, These amendments will help attack dry up terrorists revenue streams and prevent future kidnappings by making it a less profitable occupation, he adds.

Article share tools

Government amendments

Home Affairs Minister James Brokenshire tables two government amendments.

The first to creating a new offence for insurance companies who pay ransoms or reimburse payments that they suspect has been made in response to a terrorism-related request.

The second strengthens and clarifies powers to examine goods sent via letters or parcels at ports. This change is based on recommendations from the Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation David Anderson, he says.

Article share tools

Amendment defeated

House of Commons

Parliament

MPs reject a second amendment, this time tabled by Green Party MP Caroline Lucas, that would have required the government to produce a review into international best practice on deradicalisation, by 296 votes to 217 - a government majority of 81.

Article share tools

Amendment defeated

House of Commons

Parliament

MPs reject the Labour amendment to ensure that guidance for authorities preventing people being drawn into terrorism is approved by both the House of Commons and the House of Lords, by 299 votes to 216 - a government majority of 83.

Article share tools

Amendment withdrawn

House of Commons

Parliament

After receiving assurances from Mr Brokenshire, Hazel Blears agrees to withdraw her amendments but says she cannot understand the reluctance putting "countering the ideology" on the face of the bill and indicates she may return to the point at a later stage.

Article share tools

Extremism v terrorism

House of Commons

Parliament

James Brokenshire says the government will announce a new strategy on extremism in the spring.

Responding to amendments from Labour MP Hazel Blears, Mr Brokenshire says extremism "goes much wider than terrorism" and includes many behaviours that it "would be inappropriate to deal with" via counter terrorism legislation.

This new strategy will mean radicalism is not seen solely through the "lens of counter terrorism".

Article share tools

'Myths'

House of Commons

Parliament

David Cameron tells the Liaison Committee there are "myths that we need to confront" around certain technologies.

These include, he thinks, "the myth that fracking would be a disaster for the environment, the myth that GM technology means that we're all going to be eating fish-flavoured tomatoes [and] the myth that nuclear power is inherently unstable".

Article share tools

Scotland's own way

House of Commons

Parliament

Scottish National Party MP Pete Wishart says some of the "fighting language" in the bill, which wants to "take on" radicalisation, doesn't do much to achieve the objectives of making communities safer and resilient to fight against radicalisation.

He calls on the government to exclude Scotland from the part of the bill which addresses combating extremism, as "Scottish communities" are different and the Scottish government have their own "agenda".

The UK also needs to understand the external stimuli that allows radicalisation to take hold, such as the Iraq War, and the "poisonous debate" about immigration, and should take steps to prevent the feeding of radicalisation.

Article share tools

What is committee stage?

House of Commons

Parliament

A bill is sent to committee stage after second reading for detailed line by line examination of the text. Bills are normally considered by standing committees of 16 to 50 MPs away form the main chamber.

Bills of "first class constitutional importance" or of "great urgency", such as the Counter-Terrorism Bill, are considered in committees of a whole House, which as the name suggests takes place in the House of Commons chamber during the normal sitting of the House.

The chairman of ways and means - the chief deputy Speaker - and his deputies preside over such committees instead of the Speaker.

Any MP may put down an amendment to a bill which will then be grouped with other amendments to be debated en bloc. Amendments are rarely pushed to a vote at committee stage and are instead used as a chance to raise issues or to gain clarification on a point from ministers.